Defective or badly worn tyres could be the Achilles’ heel of companies and could result in prosecution under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, which came into force at the beginning of April.

The legislation stipulates that employers have a Duty of Care to ensure the safety of employees driving for work, which means that businesses will be responsible for the maintenance of not only their own fleet, but also those of the ‘grey fleet,’ the thousands of private vehicles being used every day by employees to travel whilst on company business.

It will be necessary for companies to show an audit trail indicating that regular vehicle condition checks have been carried out and documented.

According to research from TyreSafe, 12 per cent of cars and vans on the roads in the UK have at least one defective tyre, and a further 12 per cent have a tyre below 2mm, which highlights the need for greater attention to the condition of tyres with the new legislation. TyreSafe has the following top tips for employers to ensure that all tyres on their vehicles are fit for purpose, and to reduce the risk of prosecution under the new act in the event of an accident.

   1. Check and adjust if necessary, the tyre pressure in each tyre including the spare, as recommended in the manufacturer’s handbook;
   2. Clean dirt from around valves and fit dust caps to all tyres;
   3. Remove stones and other foreign objects from the tread;
   4. Check that tyres have at least 1.6mm of tread across three quarters of the width of the tyre.  TyreSafe recommends that motorists consider changing tyres when the tread falls below 3mm;
   5. Check for un-even tyre wear which might mean steering misalignment or out-of-balance wheels; and
   6. Check tyres for cuts and bulges which could render the tyre defective and potentially dangerous.

Commenting on the introduction of the new legislation, TyreSafe explains: “Tyres are often forgotten about, and therefore the new legislation is a wake-up call for all those who do not take enough care for the condition of their tyres. Now that there is someone watching over drivers, we hope that the rate of defective tyres will be significantly reduced as people realise the huge importance that tyres play in vehicle safety.”